Charles Korvin (born Geza Karpathi, November 21, 1907 â€" June 18,
1998) was an American film, television and stage actor. He was also a
professional still and motion picture photographer and a master
chef.Korvin was born in Piestany, Hungary, and studied at the
Sorbonne. During his 10 years in France, he was hired by Yvon, the
famous French postcard company, shooting on location all over the
country. In 1937, he was hired for a CBC documentary film project
about the renowned Canadian medical doctor, Norman Bethune. Entitled
“Heart of Spain†, Korvin photographed and co-directed the
anti-Franco film which was shot on the front lines during the Spanish
Civil War. Moving to the United States in 1940, Korvin studied acting
and stagecraft at the Barter Theater in Abingdon, Virginia. As Géza
Korvin, he made his Broadway stage debut in 1943, playing a Russian
nobleman in the play, Dark Eyes. After signing a movie contract with
Universal Pictures, he changed his stage name to Charles Korvin.He
worked steadily through the 1940s, including appearing in three films
with actress Merle Oberon. He was blacklisted around 1952, refused to
testify before the HUAC, and his film career was halted. Turning to
the newly burgeoning, and much less political, field of broadcast
television, Korvin starred in early productions for Playhouse 90,
Studio One, and US Steel Hour. He played The Eagle for six contiguous
episodes on Disney's Zorro and played Latin dance instructor Carlos on
The Honeymooners episode "Mama Loves Mambo." In 1960, he starred as
Inspector Duval in the UK/US television series Interpol Calling
produced by J. Arthur Rank. During these years, Korvin returned to
off-Broadway theater starring as the king in Rodgers and Hammerstein's
The King and I with runs at the Westbury Music Fair and the St. Louis
Municipal Opera. He was back on Broadway in the mid-1960s starring as
the upstairs neighbor in Neil Simon’s Tony Award winning play,
“Barefoot in the Park†. In 1964, he returned to Hollywood to play
the ship’s captain in Stanley Kramer’s Academy Award winning film,
Ship of Fools. Remaining active in later years, he was the voice of
the Red Baron for eight years on television and radio ads for
Lufthansa Airlines.Korvin and his wife, Natasha, had a daughter,
Katherine Pers, and a son, Edward Danziger Korvin.
1998) was an American film, television and stage actor. He was also a
professional still and motion picture photographer and a master
chef.Korvin was born in Piestany, Hungary, and studied at the
Sorbonne. During his 10 years in France, he was hired by Yvon, the
famous French postcard company, shooting on location all over the
country. In 1937, he was hired for a CBC documentary film project
about the renowned Canadian medical doctor, Norman Bethune. Entitled
“Heart of Spain†, Korvin photographed and co-directed the
anti-Franco film which was shot on the front lines during the Spanish
Civil War. Moving to the United States in 1940, Korvin studied acting
and stagecraft at the Barter Theater in Abingdon, Virginia. As Géza
Korvin, he made his Broadway stage debut in 1943, playing a Russian
nobleman in the play, Dark Eyes. After signing a movie contract with
Universal Pictures, he changed his stage name to Charles Korvin.He
worked steadily through the 1940s, including appearing in three films
with actress Merle Oberon. He was blacklisted around 1952, refused to
testify before the HUAC, and his film career was halted. Turning to
the newly burgeoning, and much less political, field of broadcast
television, Korvin starred in early productions for Playhouse 90,
Studio One, and US Steel Hour. He played The Eagle for six contiguous
episodes on Disney's Zorro and played Latin dance instructor Carlos on
The Honeymooners episode "Mama Loves Mambo." In 1960, he starred as
Inspector Duval in the UK/US television series Interpol Calling
produced by J. Arthur Rank. During these years, Korvin returned to
off-Broadway theater starring as the king in Rodgers and Hammerstein's
The King and I with runs at the Westbury Music Fair and the St. Louis
Municipal Opera. He was back on Broadway in the mid-1960s starring as
the upstairs neighbor in Neil Simon’s Tony Award winning play,
“Barefoot in the Park†. In 1964, he returned to Hollywood to play
the ship’s captain in Stanley Kramer’s Academy Award winning film,
Ship of Fools. Remaining active in later years, he was the voice of
the Red Baron for eight years on television and radio ads for
Lufthansa Airlines.Korvin and his wife, Natasha, had a daughter,
Katherine Pers, and a son, Edward Danziger Korvin.
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